Middle schoolers branching out with hydroponics, but it’s not what you think

By Maggie Cole

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Students at St Matthias Catholic Academy in Ridgewood, Queens are getting psyched about science. They’re learning about food growth, sustainability, and composting through the school’s unique hydroponics lab.

“It’s amazing that the crop of younger people, to use a pun, coming up that are getting exposed to vertical farming. It’s great because I think that’s sort of the future. That’s sort of how this whole thing gets gets expanded,” owner of Farm One and hydroponics expert Derek Pitts said.

Seventh grade students Olivia, Natalie, and Matilda are assistants in the hydroponics lab.

“The hydroponic system, with all the rock wall and the water’s nutrients, is way better than planting with a garden and soil. It’s less messy and it’s also easier to care for,” Olivia said. “Anyone can do this at their home.”

“These plants grow only from water,” Natalie said.

“This right here is called our NFT,” Matilda said. “We have two buckets. The pipes through here lift all the water through these tubes that circulate through all the plants.”

NFT, or nutrient film technique, delivers water and nutrients directly to the root of each plant, and is just one of the techniques the middle schoolers are mastering.

“The way we use the hydroponic system is effectively a soil replacement,” Pitts said. “The water can be recycled, reused and then put back into the system. Whereas on a regular soil base, you’ve got to soak everything. Stuff gets distributed. You’re typically using more resources than you need.”

Not only are the students learning how to grow veggies, but how to enjoy them too. All of the food grow in the lab goes right back to the kids – they use it for lunches and snacks.

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